D&D Fight Night!!

One of the things that I like to do before a campaign starts
is to give my players a chance to test their characters. This allows them to
tweak their characters and make changes before being locked in during our first
session. Often players only change a minor thing like what weapon they use or
spells they know/prepared. Sometimes an ability just doesn’t pan out the way we
thought it would in the conceptual phase vs the in-play phase. I work hard to assist
them with making their concept come to life at the table. I want them to be
happy playing their character – especially for something as long as a campaign
arc. It also allows for mistakes to be made without huge long-term consequences
right out of the gate.

Second, it also has the added benefit of the other players
learning about each character. Since each player’s character exists within the
microcosm of the party, they need to learn about each other in order to
function cohesively as a unit. While this happens naturally at table over time,
I find that this extra boost makes things more interesting and expedites that
process even further.

Third, it gives the players a chance to find their character’s
voice. I don’t require character voices
at my table (and I understand this may make it more difficult to discern who is
talking during a podcast) but this lets the player understand who their
character is beyond what they have filled out on the character sheet. For example, Ashta normally plays a fastidious
character. Her characters are often the hyper aware detail-oriented rogue. They
have to be because one mistake, and a deadly trap can spring in their character’s
face. This will differ greatly from how
Olpheron will approach the situation. In
my mind, Olpheron is more of a curious scholar, eager to explore the world and
learn new things. How will Ashta’s desire and enjoyment play out with this
character? I don’t know yet, but I am looking forward to finding out.

Finally, it allows me to calibrate the encounters for the
campaign to the party. I am running a
large table (7 players!) for this campaign and so I need to learn how to
balance everything to their tastes. This
is typically everything from social role-playing encounters to combat
encounters. We also have several new
players at our table and this gives us a chance to explain mechanics, define
terms, and give them a little bit more of hands on tutorial. Since new
characters are still calibrating their understanding to their characters and
the game, they can often be at a disadvantage or not live up to their full
potential. When a player doesn’t use all
of their character’s talents it can throw a normally easy or moderate encounter
in the realm of hard or deadly.